Chapter 2.

When he learned that the Demon King was his own foolish childhood friend, Reyno simply couldn’t look at her directly.

This girl had a simple mind and was timid, screaming WAH, WAH at the sight of even a slime.

Her, the Demon King?

Reyno once again swept his incredulous gaze up and down Kleya’s body.

The girl before him had beautiful features and a slender, tall figure, with silver hair cascading down like a waterfall. Sitting sideways at the counter, she looked like a work of art carved to perfection in every aspect.

Hmm, she did indeed have somewhat of a female Demon King’s aura.

Then, Reyno’s attention was drawn to her actions.

“Miss, what are you writing?”

Kleya, who had just finished recording the style number of today’s dress, trembled all over, instantly breaking out in sweat at the back of her neck and forehead. She quickly snapped the open notebook shut.

“I’m not writing anything! I’m… I’m keeping accounts.”

Kleya was like a student caught writing an eighteen-plus novel in class by the teacher. Although she made up a somewhat passable excuse, her entire being radiated guilt from inside out.

“But you closed it halfway through keeping accounts…”

“I finished! Besides, even if I wrote something inappropriate, it’s none of your business!”

Kleya’s eyebrows shot up, but she didn’t look fierce at all—instead, she appeared somewhat silly and adorably dumb.

“Alright~ it’s my fault for being nosy, esteemed Miss~” 

Reyno laughed and shrugged.

He understood Kleya well—this girl had been acting mysteriously for more than just a day or two.

“Hero Reyno and Demon King Kleya faced off for a moment, then decided to stop hesitating and attempt to test the Demon King’s true strength.”

“As long as he successfully obtains any part of the Demon King’s body and brings it back to camp for scholars to study, he might be able to discover the Demon King’s weakness!”

“Hero Reyno must be extremely careful, because even the slightest carelessness could cost him his life at the Demon King’s claws! Even though he and the Demon King are old acquaintances, he dares not be the least bit reckless.”

“Mission Objective: Obtain any part of the Demon King’s body.”

“Mission Reward: Bronze Deer Blade Horn”

Hearing the new mission that popped up in his mind, Reyno once again fell into a brainstorm.

“Obtain the Demon King’s… body parts?”

As soon as this mission appeared, he immediately thought of things like fingernails, tears, and hair.

But even with a clear objective, it left Reyno quite troubled.

Going to ask a girl for parts of her body… didn’t seem like something a hero should do.

It was more like something a pervert would do.

“Tsk, let’s just consider it a trial that must be endured to become a hero!” He gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and temporarily threw away his sense of shame, justice, and gentlemanly demeanor.

Fingernails… a bit difficult to get.

Tears… he couldn’t very well make her cry, and they’d be hard to preserve too.

Hair…

Hair wasn’t bad.

As he continued thinking, his gaze wandered over the magical material shelves.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto one particular item.

It was a wooden comb that looked like a carefully polished craftwork. Among the pile of rough materials, it stood out conspicuously.

“Got it.”

He gently picked up the comb and waved it toward Kleya.

“Miss, why are you selling this kind of thing here?”

“Oh, that.” Kleya looked closely and then replied.

“A girl sold it to me before. It’s made from tree spirit wood chips. Although it’s been made into a comb, it’s essentially still magical material and doesn’t interfere with potion-making, so I put it out for sale.”

“Oh~” 

Reyno made an understanding sound, then a plan began to form completely in his mind.

“I want to buy this comb to give to Molanna Valetta. But I don’t know how it works.” Reyno said while using his thumb and forefinger to support his chin in a thoughtful pose.

“Miss, could you let me try it with your hair?”

“Huh?” 

Kleya was stunned. 

“You could just try it with your own hair!”

“Oh come on, you’re a girl, so trying it with your hair would definitely be more appropriate!” 

Reyno’s attitude was sincere, his tone quite serious.

“Then… hurry up!”

Kleya didn’t seem very willing, but after hesitating for a moment, she still agreed to his request.

Actually, if Reyno had simply proposed to comb her hair, she would probably have been quite willing.

But hearing that Reyno wanted to comb her hair to test the comb for Molanna Valetta made an inexplicable sour resistance surge in Kleya’s heart.

Getting permission, Reyno’s eyebrows jumped, and he immediately went around behind Kleya, using the comb to start brushing her hair.

Kleya’s hair was not only lustrous but also extremely smooth to the touch. Whether it was deliberate care or natural talent was unknown.

During the combing process, sure enough, a small strand of silver hair fell from the back of her head. Reyno, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed that strand of hair.

“Got it!”

Just as Reyno was secretly pleased and about to put the hair away, Kleya in front of him gradually started moving—

“Um, Reyno… are you done? How do you think my hair feels?”

Kleya turned around with an expectant expression, only to see Reyno with a delighted face, looking like a pervert as he pinched her hair and stuffed it into his pocket.

“You, what are you doing!”

Kleya first asked in confusion, then her face immediately flushed bright red.

Seeing that he’d been caught, Reyno froze on the spot while holding that strand of hair.

This was bad—even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash this clean now.

“Cough… Miss, that… let me explain.”

Seeing Kleya gradually transforming into a steam princess, about to explode on the spot, Reyno had a sudden inspiration and clasped his hands together while holding the hair.

“Actually, giving Molanna Valetta a comb and all that—it was all a lie to deceive you!”

“What I wanted… was your hair.”

Kleya’s face alternated between red and green, her expression jumping back and forth between shyness and confusion.

“My… hair?”

“That’s right, actually… I have a strange hobby.”

“For people I have good relationships with, I take one of their symbolic items as a collection.”

“And you see, your hair is a rare silver color that makes people think of you the moment they see it, so…”

After saying this, Reyno sincerely bowed in apology and handed the hair back to Kleya.

This wasn’t just his strong survival instinct—more importantly, the moment he obtained the hair, the system had already determined the mission complete in his mind, so Reyno had absolutely no need to tough it out. Being honest and apologetic would make this whole thing pass.

Hearing him say this, the sour feeling in Kleya’s heart inexplicably lessened, and she even felt a bit happy.

Makes people think of me the moment they see it… Reyno actually… sees me this way…

“Really… like a pervert.” 

Kleya moved her gaze away from Reyno’s face toward the floor.

“Since you already took it… do whatever you want!”

“Thank you for your mercy, Miss!”

Seeing Kleya’s anger subside, Reyno pretended to put away the hair and began checking the system notification that had just popped up.

“After an intense struggle with the Demon King, she spared you out of old feelings and didn’t harm you. But even so, you still felt the extremely powerful oppressive aura emanating from her.”

“After successfully seizing one of her hairs, you deeply understand that your current self is no match for Demon King Kleya.”

“Mission Complete. Reward ‘Bronze Deer Blade Horn’ can be claimed.”

“Bronze Deer Blade Horn…”

Bronze Deer—a type of magical beast similar in appearance to deer. Named for the toughness and color of its hide and flesh being quite similar to bronze.

Male Bronze Deer typically have two horns on their heads: one that’s hard and heavy in texture, difficult to polish, called the blunt horn. 

The other is relatively light and easy to polish, suitable for making weapons like swords, called the blade horn.

Although Bronze Deer are merely low-level magical beasts, they can be considered among the most dangerous in the low-level category.

And the Bronze Deer’s blade horn is excellent weapon-making material that’s quite popular even among intermediate adventurers—it could be said to be quite valuable.

“Can this system not only provide abilities but also provide items?”

Reyno decided right then to claim all these things when he got home.

“Hey, Reyno!”

Kleya’s sudden question startled Reyno.

“Besides me, have you ever collected any other girls’ hair?”

Kleya bent over and stood up, glaring at Reyno with serious and fierce eyes.

“How… how could that be? Kleya, you’re the first person I consider close enough, and besides, I don’t know any other girls.”

“Not even Molanna Valetta?”

“No, she’s my apprentice, and she’s still a little brat. Today was just a moment of madness that made me…”

“Hmph.”

Kleya snorted lightly, then said: “This afternoon the Haila Opera House has a new play that’s supposed to be good. There’s a discount event there, so I bought two tickets.”

“I didn’t buy them specifically for you! Come if you want, don’t come if you don’t! If you don’t come, I’ll find someone else to go with.”

As soon as Kleya finished speaking, she immediately added a comment that only made her more obvious.

“I’ll come, I’ll come! How could I dare not listen to Miss’s orders?”

Reyno smiled bitterly.

If he dared not go, the next time he came to buy magical materials, he’d probably pay full price.

…

After returning home, Reyno didn’t immediately claim his reward. Instead, he cooked the steak he’d bought and delivered it along with the magical materials to his apprentice Molanna Valetta’s room.

It was now noon, and Molanna Valetta was no longer in that sleepy outfit that threatened to expose her at any moment, but had properly put on a gray-white robe.

“Molanna Valetta, here’s your lunch and potion materials.”

Reyno placed the plate containing lunch and the bag containing potion materials on her desk.

Molanna Valetta, who had originally been sitting half-dead at her desk, tiredly reading magic books, immediately perked up at the smell of the steak and threw herself into Reyno’s arms, making him stumble.

“Worthy of being Master! Thank you for your hard work!”

Although Molanna Valetta had a petite figure, her soft, bouncy chest was quite impressive in size.

Every time she pressed against him with that soft body, even Reyno, this thousand-year straight man incarnate, would blush.

“Alright, eat your meal properly.”

Reyno held Molanna Valetta’s shoulders and pressed her back into her chair.

“Tch, you don’t like it when I ignore you either.”

“Be careful or there won’t be steak next time.”

“Oh my, Master! My dear Master!”

“Alright, I’m going out this afternoon. You stay home and make potions obediently. I’ll check them when I return tonight.”

“Got it!”

After teasing Molanna Valetta before her meal, Reyno finally left satisfied.

But as he closed the door, Molanna Valetta inadvertently caught sight of something inconspicuous that had fallen from his body.

She got up from her chair and slowly crouched down where Reyno had just been standing.

On the floor lay a curved, extremely long silver strand of hair.

“Silver… hair?”

Molanna Valetta picked up the hair with two fingers and observed it carefully.

After confirming the hair’s length, her heart shook.

Silver waist-length hair—in her memory, only that woman had such hair.

The greatest threat in her life… her mortal enemy!

“What’s their relationship now?”

Looking at that strand of hair, Molanna Valetta’s heart immediately surged with tremendous crisis.

“They clearly kept their distance before, barely even having physical contact!”

“How could there be… hair left behind this time?”

“Master Reyno also said… he’s going out this afternoon. Could it be…?!”

Instantly, Molanna Valetta’s brain filled with unspeakable images of her beloved brother and that detestable she-devil making passionate love together.

“No way! Absolutely cannot let her succeed!”

Molanna Valetta’s eyes immediately ignited with nameless flames.

“Master… can only be mine!”

…

“After escaping unscathed from the Demon King, Hero Reyno brought back the food supplies that Molanna Valetta needed along the way!”

“But before leaving, Demon King Kleya issued an invitation to Hero Reyno to reminisce about old times… Is this the last remaining conscience of the Demon King, or a trap set to strangle the hero?”

“Side mission complete. Reward ‘Basic Sword Technique Mastery’ can now be claimed!”

“New mission accepted: Before 3 PM, keep the appointment and go to Haila Opera House to meet with the Demon King.”

“Mission Reward: Elemental Magic Affinity”

After completing all missions, Reyno claimed all rewards at once.

Instantly, his body felt as if it had been washed from inside out, and his sense of touch, hearing, smell, and sight all became clearer.

“This is… Keen Perception?”

Besides the ability, the brownish Bronze Deer Blade Horn from the rewards was also placed on his desk.

“Quite gorgeous in color, light in texture—it’s definitely the real thing!”

Such a high-quality deer horn could be polished into quite a good weapon. Even selling it directly at the market would fetch a considerable price.

Just as Reyno was immersed in the joy of receiving rewards, an extremely subtle movement caught his attention.

It was the sound of extremely light, small footsteps coming from the hallway outside his room door.

His former self without Keen Perception definitely wouldn’t have noticed.

“Who is it?”